A Pokemon Story: The Paths We Walk
by Destiny-Rising
Summary: Liam Avarie, a young man who holds the title as son of Marcus Avarie, member of the Elite Four in the Hoenn Region. Liam detests his life and the life he lost when he was young. He wants nothing more than to have his own journey outside the walls of Ever Grande he's been in for some ten years. His father refuses. Is it this new connections he has with Pokemon? Or something evil..


Chapter One: The First Chapter

-_When the world decides to change, we have no other path to walk. Change is a part of our lives and sometimes, the pathways we choose show what changes have really come. There really isn't anything we can do to fight change. If there was, this world would have changed either way. An infinite cycle of hypocrisy.-_

_This is what ran through Liam's head as he stared at the rushing water below him. Liam was being taken from his home and family. His mother let him go, his sister waved as he left and he couldn't help but feel resentment in his veins. After seven years of a real life, no matter how dull, he had loved his family and the life he had lead. _

_Liam Avarie, Seven years old, was all alone on this small boat, zipping across the ocean as it sprayed across his skin. His short black hair rustled with the wind and his icy blue eyes shot across the horizon. His cargo shorts were flat against his legs and his blue T-shirt that screamed generic was whipping like a flag. The sun was high and bright, boring down on poor Liam. _

"_Aye' almost back onto ther shore, lad." Called out Captain Briney. His voice brought Liam back to earth to realize where he was. On a small high-speed boat. On his way to a new life with his father, some big wig over on the Hoenn Region that everyone made such a big deal about. Liam didn't care for trivialities. He wanted to go home and play with Noo Noo, his family's Arcanine that his his mother said used to be his father's. His father. Liam couldn't help but hate him. He was stealing him away from his life. He had never known his father for his entire life. His mother had said his father, Marcus, had a very important job that kept him away. _

"_Okay Mr. Briney" Liam responded without noticing. "Ahh, call me John, lad. I've known yer' family years. Ti's m' pleasure to be helping get you to yer' father." But Liam didn't even hear him. It was several more hours until the ship had landed in a city Liam couldn't pronounce. For the age of seven, Liam was exceptionally intelligent but he still couldn't pronounce words very well._

"_When can I have my own Pokemon, Marcus?" Liam asked, trying his hardest not to resort to pouting._

"_Liam, I've told you, it's disrespectful to call me by my name. I am your father" Marcus told him for the gajillionth time. Liam usually starts the argument about how "You're not a father to me!" and Marcus replies with some rant about family and leaves once he realizes Liam isn't listening. _

"_Liam, you're ten years old. Albeit most trainers receive their Pokemon at ten, I don't believe you're ready"._

_This is the same thing Marcus has been saying for months now that Liam has began asking for his own Pokemon._

"_Hey little man!" A familiar voice said close and a hand ruffled Liam's now shaggy black hair. It was Sidney Cain, one of Marcus's friends and one of his co-workers. Liam still doesn't understand his fa-... Marcus's work. He knew is had to do with being a strong trainer so Liam assumed he was in the army or a police man. _

"_Hi Sidney!" Liam grinned. Sidney was nice and cool and super strong. Sidney dressed weird but that was okay. His bright orange and pink hair, cut into a weird path on his head. Sidney was also really nice to Liam. He played with him, showed him his super cool Pokemon and bought him ice cream. Liam wished Sidney was his dad. Sidney said a few words to Marcus and left, giving Liam one a wink and walked away. Marcus turned to Liam and smiled, almost as if trying to copy Sidney. "Son, I'll tell you what. Once you are the same age I was when I first received a Pokemon, I'll let you catch your very own". _

_Liam started to get angry. Did Marcus think he was stupid? He knew his father didn't get his first Pokemon until he was seventeen years old!_

Liam shot up from his bed, sweating and panting hard. A cold sweat had broken out on his skin which made him shiver. He used his blankets to get rid of it and slowly slipped out of bed. His past. Liam hated his past. It was dull, pointless, and full of disappointment. Dreaming about his past always caused him to stress and stress caused his heart to take advantage of his defect, and threaten to burst.

He manged to blindly make his way into the restroom and stared at the mirror as his eyes adjusted. He looked at himself, and almost laughed. His eyes were half shut, his hair was a horrid mess, his boxer shorts wrinkled and his shirt inside out and backwards.

"Three left. Damn you, Marcus" Liam whispered as he peered inside his pill bottle. He asked the now awake Chandelure above him to provide a small flame and she did. "Chande..." She whispered in return. Now with light, Liam saw there were in fact four pills left. Exactly how many he needed.

"Thanks Chandy, that's enough. I'll go to bed now" He said, exiting the bathroom connected to his room. Chandy gave a small whine of worry and extinguished the flame. He walked to the edge of his room, pills in hand as if scooped up the small glass of water he kept next to his bed. His piercing eyes stared outward. By the small curve of the sun peering over the sea, he assumed it was about five A.M. That's earlier than usual. During a normal night, his nightmares would wake him around seven.

"Jesus..." Liam opened the large double windows in his room, appreciating the lovely cold air that burst through. The roar of the massive waterfall some seven hundred feet below him still managed to calm his nerves. If he looked straight down, he could make out the outline of the fall and imagine what it would be like to jump in, from that high into the cold water. He took his pills.

"I've been seventeen for five months now, Marcus. I've given you time to notice. You've missed almost all of my birthdays and given me crap reasons... Tomorrow, I'm getting my own Pokemon and I'm leaving Ever Grande City" Liam was determined. Even if Marcus brought Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, and even the Champion, Wallace, they'd never be able to find him.

Liam stared out, watching the sun set for about another hour. He wanted to sleep several hours during the day so the during the night, when he leaves, he'll be awake and fully alert.

"Oh and Chandy, I know you're still awake. Please don't tell anyone about this"

"Chan..." She responded.

Liam woke around four P.M. He had packed his back pack with everything he believed he would need. He had managed to get Chandy to promise not to say anything before he slipped on jeans, a v-neck, and hung a jacket over his shoulder. He opened the door from his room and walked downstairs. He slid his hand over the dark wood handrail. He walked into the living room and found Phoebe sprawled out on the couch, a large jug of apple juice in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other, fully asleep. On the chair next to Phoebe's couch was Sidney, strumming lightly on his steam punk electric guitar with his Weavile sitting next to him.

"Good morning, Sidney" Liam said cheerfully. Sidney looked up and flashed him a peace sign. "Welcome to the world of the living, kiddo. It's almost evening" He said, and yanked a cord from his pouch to add to his guitar. Liam smiled and rubbed the back of his head, malicious intent seeping in. "Yeah yeah. I kept waking up again. And I'm out of pills... I need to tell Marcus to get me some more".

Liam walked into the main room and started towards the kitchen. -At seven P.M... I'll steal a Pokéball from Marcus and leave... Maybe I'll tell Marcus I need the pills now so he'll leave for a while...-

"Oh yeah, your pop was looking for you but decided not to wake you. Probably a smart idea since last time we tried to wake you, you almost kicked my Absol in the face."

Liam chuckled but then turned serious. "What does he want?" He said almost mono-toned. "Oh I dunno, something about a plan of yours. Sneaky sneaky"

Liam's heart jumped. -Crap, how did Marcus find out? And in such a short time? It was only a few hours before! Does he really know...?-

"Oh, okay. Thanks Sidney. I'll go find him"

"Peace, bro."

Liam spent about five minutes grudgingly looking for Marcus. He checked the main room, the kitchen, his office (Which Liam found in poor taste), and even the battle ground. He asked Glacia if he was off working but she said he was in his room. He eventually found him asleep in his own room. -Well Marc, I'll return the favor of letting you stay asleep.-

Liam spent the next few hours helping Phoebe get over her hang over, playing chess with Glacia (Which he could never win, much to his dismay), and chatting with Sidney and a couple of his Pokemon.

"Hey, watch this, bro" Sidney said. He pulled a guitar string from his pocket and tied a Pecha berry on the end, then tied it to his Mightyena's tail. Then patted his head, telling him to wake up. Mightyena woke up and craned his head to see the Pecha berry. Pecha berries, being soft, sweet, and delicious, were a favorite to Pokemon. Mighyena proceeded to jump up and jump at the berry, only to find it two feet away. Sidney roared in laughter as Mightyena ran in disfigured circles, trying to snag the berry tied to his tail. Liam smiled. He wanted his own Pokemon so badly... There was a time Sidney tried to sneak Liam a Pokemon and got royally chewed out by Marcus.

Marcus is a scary man when he wants to be. He's very tall and very muscular. His short, brown hair perfectly cut with his dark brown eyes. His sharp jawline and glare that could curdle the milk inside of a Miltank. After Drake Connigan, the previous member of the Elite Four retired and vanished, Marcus left his job as a Gym Leader in Rustboro City and became a member of the Elite Four.

This was five years after the Opposite's War, the time when two groups of villains attempted to re-awaken Legendary Pokemon to create the world in their image. It was said a young boy around twelve defeated both of these teams and returned peace to the Hoenn Region.

"That's pretty funny, Sidney. But you've shown me that trick at least a hundred times throughout the years" Liam chuckled. Sidney shrugged, insisting that it was still funny. Liam just wondered how Mightyena never figured it out.

Liam glanced at his watch. It was 6:57. "Well, I'mma go to my room. If someone makes dinner, just let me know". Liam left knowing well that Glacia or Sidney won't make dinner until about eight. That gives him more than an hour.

Liam thought about leaving notes for everyone but decided against it. It's like tying a rope to him and Ever Grande city and lighting it on fire with Fire Blast. It could detach them forever or end up burning him. Or them. Come to think of it, using Fire Blast on a rope would probably just end up killing him.

-I guess it's time- He thought glancing at his wrist. He said one final farewell to Chandy, and pulled his back pack from underneath his bed. He made one final triple check to make sure he had everything, and he opened the double door window. Right beneath his room was Marcus's. He would use a sheet, tied to his bed (How original), and lower himself down and into Marc's room through his open window.

He secured the white sheet, grimacing. This was stressful. It wasn't incredibly so but it caused him intense hunger. He had a scene go through his head where just as he pulled a Pokéball from the man's drawer, his stomach would growl and Marcus would wake up and catch him. Liam sighed to himself and pulled on the sheet one more time, testing its strength.

Slowly, he stepped out of the window, gripping the sheet so hard it caused his hands to hurt. If he fell, it would mean some seven hundred feet of pure terror. Probably enough to make his heart explode. Literally. "Jesus mother of God... Or some other deity like Zeus and his fricken magical Zebstroika chariot. Wait, no. Poseidon and his Kingdras. Yeah... Praying to a water God would be better..." Liam mentally slapped himself, realizing he was stalling. "I got this..." Liam enjoyed the cool ocean air on his skin. It helped calm his nerves. He had always loved the sky and the ocean and the mountains on the horizon. "Gah dammit I'm stalling again. Okay..." He took in one more breath before beginning his thirteen foot descent into Marcus's room.

Step by step, he eventually found a point where his foot met nothing but air. He gripped the sheet tighter and slowly inched down until he touched down inside of his fa- Marcus's room. It still bugged Liam that Marcus might know of his plan. If he does, it's some beautiful luck he's asleep.

He arched his body to slip through the window without having to slide against it. He slowly let go of the sheet and crouched down. His heart was beating fast but the pills from this morning were still in effect so he should be fine he hoped. Slowly, he lifted his leg and stretched it as far as he could while staying balanced, and did the same with his other leg. After an agonizingly long two strides, he was at Marcus's drawer. His eyes zipped between the sleeping form of Marcus and the drawer. Marcus's chest was slowly rising up and down, giving Liam reassurance that Marcus wasn't actually awake and outside, flying on his Archeops or Skarmory, waiting for him to come out of the window.

Slowly, incredibly slowly, he slid open the wooden drawer. Inside were several Pokeballs, all set in small foam placers so they didn't roll around. Liam quietly thanked Marcus for his neatness. He blindly picked one, and slowly set it in his pocket. The cold, smooth metal felt somehow natural in his hand. As if he was meant to be a Trainer all of his life. This gave him confidence.

"Later, Marc. See you never I hope" He whispered so softly he could barely hear himself. He silently strode over to the sheet and welcomed the air once more. His plan was already almost finished. Now, here comes the hard part. He would have to jump seven hundred feet into the ocean below and manage to swim one hundred feet to the bottom shore where a path to a hidden forest lay. There, he had a small boat stored with an engine with just enough fuel to make it Mossdeep. There, he would use his large amount of money to hire another boat and ride to Lilycove where he would start his journey on foot to explore as a Trainer. The first Pokemon he meets, he's going to catch he told himself.

Liam looked out onto the ocean, it's beautiful shine and gentle movement invited Liam to jump. And so he did. Falling seven hundred feet all alone while the sun goes down into the vast, endless ocean wasn't what Liam was expecting. He expected the air to sting like needles, his heart to be on the edge of exploding, and his chest to be heaving as he fell to his almost death. Instead, it was nice. It was completely silent other than the rush of air. His clothes (Now swim shorts and a shirt) and back pack (wrapped in plastic) were whipping in the wind. Everything was so peaceful. He fell as the sun did, it's light slowly turning red and orange as dusk fell. Liam felt happy. He could almost- _SPLAASH _

The water was like needles. His heart began to beat incredibly fast, and his chest labored for breath. Liam thrashed around for a few moments to realize he was still alive, just completely freaking out. He took a few moments to calm down and make sure his heart wasn't going to burst inside of him. He swam upwards and took in a slow, long breath as he breached the top. A crazy smile worked its way onto the soaked boy's face. He did it. He finally did it. He jumped out a window, seven hundred feet to the ocean and survived... Even with his crazy heart condition. He thanks the pills. As long as he has them, his heart was as strong as a normal person's.

"Oh man that was great!" Liam laughed almost maniacally out loud as he began his way to the bottom shore. After about fifteen or twenty minutes, he reached land and he pulled himself up and shed his soaked clothing. He wrung it out and shivered. Being naked at night next to the ocean was really freaking cold. He dried himself with a towel he packed and slipped on his boxers, his shirt, a sweater, and his sweats. Warmth was very much welcomed.

After getting himself situated and not about to die, he wrapped his wet clothing in the plastic used to cover his bag and stuffed it in another pocket of his black back pack, finished with a nice little white Pokeball design with a silver dot in the middle. Phoebe said she made it for him by hand. She said she tried to make it as cute as possible. Phoebe... Very odd woman. In her late twenties, she could pass for his age... Same with her drinking habits. She likes to experiment.

It didn't take long to get to the forest but by the time he did, it was very dark. He ran into the forest head on, keeping the Pokeball comfortably in hand as he charged forward. Liam found a nice spot and lied down. He only had a few hours before the effect of the pills would vanish. Mossdeep had his pills he knew. And he needed to get there fa- "Enjoying the stars, Liam?" A voice called and Liam froze. If he weren't on his pills, he was sure he would have passed out right there. Agonizingly, he turned his head to see who spoke. Marcus Avarie stood in the clearing, staring at him with blank eyes. On his left was his Skarmory and on his right was his Archeops. Liam couldn't help but mentally face palm. Regardless, the silence stood. Liam studied Marcus's face and found no anger. No sadness or disappointment or displeasure. Liam wasn't sure what to do or say. The only noise was the occasional voice of Archeops.

Marcus patted Archeops, then Skarmory, then turned around. "Let's go home, Liam." Marcus whispered something to his Archeops and it lifted itself up and took off, a large cloud of dust erupted from where it stood.

"I was looking for you earlier but if I'd known you would have pulled this stunt, Liam. I would have woken you up." Liam still just sat there. "Let's go, son." Marcus said again, just as calmly.

Gathering his courage, Liam stood up but did not walk over. "No Marcus."

Marcus kept his stalemate emotion. "I figured you'd say that. Four years ago when we learned of your heart condition, I told myself I would never let you become a trainer. But once your heart got stronger and your medication kept you stable, I gave the idea a chance. The following year, I had a visit from a boy who's age was around fourteen who had defeated Drake Calligan in a fair full battle at the age of eleven. He had a condition that outweighed yours ten fold. That's not the reason why I refuse to let you become a trainer. Do you know why it is?"Marcus finished. He had basically asked Liam the question he has been wondering for ten years. "No, Marcus. Please tell me why" Liam responded, almost mono-toned. Marcus smiled. "You and your mother both have that way of hiding emotions. Through your words and actions. I won't tell you why here. I will once we are back home"

The mention of Liam's mother hurt a little bit. He received monthly letters from her, telling her how life was. His little sister has already become a trainer and made friends. She's currently training to defeat the first Gym Leader back in Unova. Marcus spoke again. "Liam, I'm going to force you to come back with me in one hour. For that hour, you may do as you please. You can run as far as you want but you will never be out of my sight". For some reason, the offer made Liam feel comfortable. He was slowly losing all resolve. This man is one of the most powerful trainers in the world and there was literally nothing Liam could do against him.

"A-alright Marcus." And he fled into the forest as far as he could. "God dammit! God fucking dammit! Gahh!" He roared as he sprinted further into the forest.

"Those eyes... Those stupid holy eyes! I hate them! I hate him!" Liam charged, throwing branches out of his way. After what seemed like hours, his body collapsed. His eyes were streaming with tears and his body was heaving with effort. After another twenty minutes, he cleaned himself up as best he could and started walking in one direction.

"This sucks..." He said to himself, ready to pass out. No matter what, in about... Liam looked at his watch. Less than ten minutes, Marcus will take me back. I have no fricken idea how he found me. He probably knows I have the Pokeball too... And he'll take it. I haven't seen one damn Pokemon here anyways!" But irony apparently loves to show its face Liam told himself as he found a larger clearing, filled with Electric-Type Pokemon. It was incredible. The ground itself was zipping with electricity where they all stood, the air was filled with electric charge. But something was wrong. In the middle of the crowd were two Pokemon alone. One he recognized as a Manectric and the smaller one as a Shinx. But Shinx was badly hurt. From the back of the cleaning, some twenty feet away, he could see the blood stains. It was barely standing, panting hard and whining with pain. The Manectric was bursting with electric power, growling. The sight was horrible. It was like having a wrestler for a bully as a Kindergartner.

-Oh my God I have to do something to help! But what? There's at least a hundred angry Pokemon out there! If I go out there... I could get killed!- Liam took another look as the Manectric slammed its head against the Shinx who let out a pained cry. It barely managed to stand up this time, one eye forced shut as blood from its forehead streamed over it. -Screw it. I've got five minutes until my life is over. If it ends a couple minutes early, at least it was worth it!- He thought and stood up. Liam the fool charged into the clearing, yelling defiantly. A wave of excited and surprised noises washed over the clearing as he broke through the circle and stood in front of the poor Shinx. "Leave this Pokemon alone! What the hell are you doing!" He asked loudly. Silence washed over the crowd for a few moments before he heard something.

"_Leave human! Your place is not here!"_

"Wha-..." Liam took a step back. That voice... What was it? But the voice repeated itself, the same thing.

"_Leave human! Your place is not here!" _And Manectric roared at him. "Are you... Talking to me...?" Liam asked but Manectric didn't respond. Instead, it charged at him. Liam froze in fear as it charged, hoping something would come save him. He believed with all his heart that Marcus would pop in and save him. Manectric rammed into Liam, throwing him backwards and almost shattering his ribs. Liam made that oh-so lovely fish face and was thrown onto the ground behind him, his body thrown like a rag doll. Pain burst through his chest, seeping into his brain so he could barely think. He felt blood flow from the corner of his mouth.

He brought himself up with one hand, the other clutching his chest but the pain was too intense. He fell back down to the ground and the small Shinx came to him and licked his face, crying desperately.

"_Please don't die!" _Another voice, higher and desperate. He knew instantly he was hearing the Shinx's thoughts. It was the only explanation. And for Manectric too! Liam knew the only thing he could do was to catch this Shinx and just survive until Marcus found him. Manectric roared, and let loose an incredible bolt of electricity. Liam cried out and waited for the end. But it never came. Instead, little Shinx was taking the full bolt, it's own body filled with electricity. Liam somehow knew it was Spark that gave Shinx the counter electricity.

Somehow, this Shinx had saved his life after he saved its. He was determined now. Finally, the bolt ended and Shinx fell to the ground, panting. Liam pulled the Pokeball from his pocket and pressed the middle button. The steel orb expanded in his hand. He reached forward and tapped the front of it onto Shinx. In a flash of white light, Shinx vanished as a stream into the Pokeball. Liam only hoped it wouldn't fail. Manectric roared again, completely furious. It charged again. Liam saw the Pokeball flash red and he knew he had succeeded. Swiftly, he minimized the ball and slipped it into his pocket. He looked up to find a Manectric glaring over him, pure burning hatred flowing through it and into him. It roared right in his face, and finally, Liam lost consciousness. -Damn... Pills...-


End file.
